This was my first experience climbing outdoors. I had been to the rock gym plenty of times, but nothing compares to the real thing. The combination of fresh air and getting to choose your own routes made me realize that this is something I’ll be doing until my fingers fall off.
We went to the Practice Wall at Windy Point on August 7th (first two pictures) and followed up at Ridgeline on the 23rd. On October 23rd, we went to a place called Rabbit Tracks (last three pictures). That was the first (and hopefully last) time I got dropped by my belayer–I freefell for a good 10 feet before he caught me and the rope stretched another 5-6 feet. I hit the ground, but very gently. Thanks, Scott!
My friend Mark and I went on a road trip to Los Angeles to see Mike Doughty (of Soul Coughing fame) open for Rusted Root at the House of Blues. The next day we drove to San Diego and stayed at the Surfer Motor Lodge on Mission Beach. Mark flew a kite while I learned how to surf.
My friend Jason called me up on a Thursday night, saying he & some friends from Phoenix were planning on heading to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico (Rocky Point to us gringos). One problem: they needed a ride. I got a free 3-day weekend stay at a condo on the beach and they got their free ride. Win-win!
The National Forests in Arizona were closed all summer due to the high risk of forest fire. As soon as they opened, I called my buddy Jason and said, “Let’s do a hike.”
Of course, I picked Rincon Peak, which is 16.2 miles and 4200 feet of elevation gain, and also decided to do this in a day. I figured once we got into the higher elevation it would be cooler. It was, but it was still 80 degrees at the top. We ran out of water, got overheated, stumbled upon three different rattlesnakes, etc. When I got back to the car, I picked up the cooler and drank the icewater straight from the thing. Not the best planning, but it was still a great hike!
My friend Frederic was a German exchange student at my high school. He and I meet up every few years and travel around. This time he was in Montreal working at an internship. As a bonus, I was there for both our birthdays and the Montreal Jazz Festival. I was introduced to the diabolo, and I even learned some French: un pichet de bière, s’il vous plaît!
